Georgia Sen. David Perdue apparently prays for Obama's death at religious-right conference

Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) could have hell to pay after Friday's gaffe. (Cliff Owen/AP)

He was praying for creeps.

A crowd of conservatives broke into guffaws Friday when a Republican senator suggested they pray for President Obama using a biblical passage that says "Let his days be few."

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The audience laughed at Georgia Sen. David Perdue's prayer — even though the rest of Psalm 109:8, which he did not read, says "Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow."

Perdue was speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition when he told the room, "I think we should pray for Barack Obama."

But, Perdue said, there was a very specific prayer he had in mind for the president.

"We should pray like Psalm 109:8 says, 'Let his days be few,'" Perdue said, to audience chuckles. "And let another have his office," he continued.

Perdue stopped before reaching the most disturbing line.

Instead, he moved into prepared remarks, saying "In all seriousness, I believe that America is at a moment of crisis."

He stuck to his planned speech for the rest of his talk.

Kristen Orthman, a spokeswoman for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, said Perdue's comments "left the impression he was praying for the death of President Obama."

"If Republicans are still wondering why Donald Trump is their nominee, look no further than today's Faith and Freedom conference," she said.

Orthman also observed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., followed Perdue on stage "and did not condemn him." Trump spoke later in the day at the annual gathering of religious conservatives.

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Perdue's staff immediately dismissed the idea that the Georgia GOP'er was hoping for harm to come to Obama.

“Let his days be few,” Perdue said of the President. (Susan Walsh/AP)

"Sen. Perdue said we are called to pray for our country, for our leaders, and for our president," said spokeswoman Caroline Vanvick.

"He is no way wishes harm towards our president and everyone in the room understood that," she added.

Vanvick said there was another group in more dire need of divine intervention — the media.

"We should add [reporters] to our prayer list because they are pushing a narrative to create controversy and that is exactly what the American people are tired of," she added.

It's not the first time the psalm - which has been referred to by some zealots as "The Obama Prayer" — has caused a controversy.

In 2012, a Kansas Republican leader came under fire for sending an email that used the bible verse to suggest the Democratic president's "days be few."

The lawmaker, state house speaker Mike O'Neal, refused to step down amid calls for his resignation. But he did apologize for using the scripture, which many critics interpreted as a call for President Obama's death.

Some 30,000 initially signed a petition demanding O'Neal step down.

On Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest had a more sanguine response to Sen. Perdue's comments.

"As Sen. Perdue considers whether an apology is appropriate, there are a variety of other scriptures he might consult," the spokesman said.